At the October 20th (1971) evening
meeting of the New England Section, Professor F. H. Norton was presented a Steuben bowl in partial
recognition of his many achievements and contributions to the advancement of ceramic science and
technology. He became the 8th recipient of the New England Section's "Distinguished Ceramist "
Award. Chairman Dr. Daniel Button turned over the award ceremony to Professor Robert Coble,
a former student and professorial colleague of Professor Norton.

In making the presentation, Professor Coble noted:

"F. H. Norton began his professional career by making a significant contribution in the design of airplane wings
which were standards in the industry well into the 1940's. His distinguished ceramics career included the founding
of the Ceramics Division of graduate ceramic education at M.I.T., authorship of numerous important texts beginning with
Refractories, many scientific and engineering advancements, numerous patents, and perhaps most satisfying, the
contributions of his students to the ceramics profession." Professor Norton gave a talk entitled, "A Perusal
of Ceramics", in which he concentrated on improved production methods and quality control within the whitewares
industry. Included were such topics as high-pressure slip casting, one-high wall tile firing, improvement in glazing to ensure
uniformity of shade and color, and decreasing the reject rate in sanitary ware manufacture."

Most of the audience was
not associated with the whiteware industry but rather, the technical ceramics field. Thus, the message was particularly
enlightening and inspired such questions as, "Given these technical and productivity advancements, do you think
a new profitable and competitive (with imports) wall tile company could be initiated?" Professor Norton's answer
was, "Yes, it would be possible, but don't forget that Japanese and European manufacturers are highly competent
technicians."

F. H. Norton was Section Counselor from 1953 - 1964. In 1977, the F. H. Norton Award was established in
his honor. It had previously been known as the Distinguished Ceramist Award (1967-1976) and the Raytheon Ceramic Award
(1965-1966) in the prior year.